The fact that retirement talk had gone public was not nearly as upsetting to Miller as the timing.

"What I said is I guess I've got to figure out what is best for me," he said, stressing that the last thing that should stand as an issue on the eve of the NBA Finals was his future.

As it is, the reserve 3-point specialist already has been considering his future, including a June 30 auction of his Hillsboro Shores mansion.

When discussing that sale with the Sun Sentinel last week, Miller said, "I'm in it to move on to the next step."

These have been trying times for Miller, who has fought through and continues to fight through a series of chronic injuries. While the ESPN report mentioned both pregame and halftime pain-killer injections, Miller, who has been dealing with back issues, said the shots were not nearly that frequent.

Should Miller, 32, retire, he would forgo $18.8 million over the next three seasons.

In addition, a Miller retirement would allow the Heat to retain the one-time "amnesty" clause they can utilize to avoid a luxury-tax payment on a player who was under contract to the Heat prior to this season.

A retirement by Miller and an "amnesty" of, say, forward Udonis Haslem or center Joel Anthony in the offseason could provide greater free-agency flexibility for the franchise going forward.

For his part, Miller said it is an issue that should be off-limits just as any other issue that does not directly pertain to this championship series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"This is not the time for that," he said. "And it's not something that I even know what's going to happen."